Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Letter from New York
I shall spare you the cliche. But this much I must say: I am in New York, I am Home. I clicked my heels three times, leaped over the rainbow via my friend Dorothee Wenner8217;s in Berlin and landed in the Big Apple. Goodbye Juicy Mango Mumbai it was nice knowin8217; you, but you gave me a set of cavities and now I need some healin8217; and as the good doctor advised quot;an apple a dayquot;.
Dream Merchant
Yes, Mumbai8217;s hitherto ahem! most famous film export to USA, Ismail Merchant was all smiles at the opening night gala of The Asian American Film Festivalwhere he was being felicitated for his lifetime8217;s achievements. Dressed in his trademark black sherwani, Ismail mamu shook every hand in the room and indulged some overly made-up diasporic aunties who insisted on snapshots for their relatives back in Ludhiana. In fact one such monstrosity brought along her 19-year-old nephew who wants to be an actor. This hapless boy came to the event dressed in a tee-shirt and jeans but minutes before La Merchant8217;s entourage arrived with him were his life-partners-in-business James Ivory and Ruth Praver-Jhabvala his aunt took him to the changing room and he emerged transformed in a silk kurta churridar outfit, his ruffled hair gelled down and his pale Kashmiri cheeks quickly pinched to rosy perfection. As the lady later explained to me in diasporic conspiratoriality, quot;Arrey beta, this is Nu Yaark na, we Indians have to use our culture to stand out and get noticed thoda maharaja dhirajapan lagana padta hai!quot;. Alas for the lady this trick cut no ice with the venerablemerchant of dreams as Ismail himself has used the maharaja card and every other ethnic card in his illustrious 35 year career to criminal perfection. Also present at the opening night gala were several new South Asian directors including Harish Saluja and Anil Baral. The latter is a talented young first time director whose half hour short Coma was stunning.
New Kids on the Block
quot;Naan Goes Nuclearquot; screams the headlines from a fashion magazine and all over New York, from bookshops to boutiques, from restaurants to theatre, you know that Indian culture is finally entering the mainstream of US culture. Actor Ajay Mehta who has been working from New York for over a decade , beamed as he informed me about the increase in work for Indian actors. quot;Scriptwriters are finally including Indian characters and while most are still stereotypical, some are quite invigoratingquot;. Ajay8217;s optimism is seconded by multitalented theatre personality Aasif who has a major production of his monologue play running offBroadway currently and is to be soon seen in two feature films alongside the likes of Robert DeNiro, Denzil Washington and Billy Crystal!
Om is home
Behind the screen/scene too Indian sensibilities are in hot demand. Arjun Bhasin has graduated from assisting in the costume and design department in Mira Nair8217;s Kamasutra to now becoming a full fledged production designer for her next venture to be shot in India in December as well as on another New York indie a term that means independent 8211; not Indian! feature. quot;It8217;s a fabulous script and I am really glad they selected me! In New York if you work hard, polish your wit and speak out in what you believe, then honey, they will love youquot;.
From the mainstream to the cutting edge is Diana Khambata who is making mega waves in the underground club groove scene with her Om Zone label. quot;When I started working as a remix artist six years ago I was the only Indian aroundquot; chirps this attractive and happening lady, quot;And now it8217;s great to see thatIndian youth and music are so integral to this scene.quot; Old time Mumbaikars may recall Diana as the daughter of Dolly and Freddy Khambata who were the darlings of the 8217;60s and 8217;70s hip generation and ran the hair salon Dollfrey, back in the days when bouffant was in. Diana is currently working on several projects that she hopes will help raise the awareness of the commercial music world to the potential of mainstreaming Indian music and culture. quot;It8217;s about integration. A celebration of the senses. I want to create a unified consciousness and that8217;s what the Om label and family is all about.quot;
Is that really the time!! Gotta rush now. Yeah, meeting Zach at the Rambles and then it beige night at the Bowery Bar. Sure! I8217;ll give Mariah Carey a kiss from y8217;all. Bye.
